I hope that I'm not the only one who has this problem...
I can't seem to understand what Riley is saying most of the time! I try to get him to show me what it is that he's trying to say but I still don't get it! I have him take me to where it is that he wants to go or see or do so I'm constantly being pulled around the house. I can't stand whining so I try not to respond to it but I'm sure he gets really frustrated not being able to tell me what he wants. I tried signing to him when he was younger but he never picked up on it.
Apparently I missed the toddler speak 101 class that is given to every other mother!
How can I communicate with him better?

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my ds now 4 used to speak very clearly now its like trying to understand a foriegn language.. basically his brain is thinking faster than he can spit it out.. so i have to say stop a secound lets slow down and say it real slow for mom and sometimes it takes a couple tries to understand what he is saying. i had this same problem with my oldest i thought something was wrong with him and the ped told me that he is thinking faster than he can speak and it will eventually go away and she was right it was just real frustrating while it was going on for him and mom.

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My 5 yr old has speech issues and I cannot understand him half the time, so I know that other people have real problems. I am hoping his kindergarten teacher is very patient. He gets so upset when he has to repeat things over and over again and we still don't get it. He will be receiving speech services at school, so I hope he progresses quickly. In the mean time, I make him slow down and he gestures and points alot.

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Diva is a whiner. I tell her I can't understand her when she whines or cries (I really can't.). She has learned, and is getting good at stopping it and settling down before she talks. I'm also trying to get her to slow down her speech. She tries so hard to communicate, and speaks very well, so she does get frustrated on those times when I simply can't understand her. If she says something wrong, I do say it correctly and ask her to repeat it. That helps. It's a lot of work to get those little lips and tongues around some of those words!

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The same thing happened to my dh when he was a kid. He actually had kindof a stutter or something. Anyway the ped told my mil to give him meds or take him off sugar. She took him off sugar for 6 years and it worked. Now he won't eat anything sweet except maybe ice cream once in a while.

As for the communication thing. I don't think you missed the class. There really isn't one. I don't know any mom who can understand everything her toddler says. Don't feel bad you are definatly not alone.

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Mommy to Hope (10.10.06)
Monkey mommy to Allyson (10.13.02)

okay - this will sound crazy to some and like too much work to some, but I have been there - believe me.

You need some flashcards. You can make your own with a printer, buy them - whatever. I bought them here and there, dollar stores, book stores, etc and added to our collection over the years. All you need is household items, animals - whatever.

Get some paper and jot down how your child is saying things and you can start to de-code his little language. This is not only helpful to learn his language, but also if you ever need a speech evaluation. You can easily find what sounds he should be able to make at his age and once you figure it out, you will know if he is progressing appropriately.

Make it fun, and don't push too hard. If he will do 2 or 3 cards at a time, just do it. Leave them out in a basket and do a couple anytime you are playing on the floor or hanging out.